{{Short description|American production designer (1908–2005)}} {{About|the movie art director|other members of the Golitsyn family named Alexander|Alexander Golitsyn (disambiguation){{!}}Alexander Golitsyn}} Prince '''Alexander Golitzen''' (Golitsyn) (February 28, 1908{{spaced ndash}}July 26, 2005) was a Russian-born American [[production designer]] who oversaw [[Art director#In film|art direction]] on more than 300 movies.
Born in Moscow in the princely [[Golitsyn family]], Alexander Golitzen fled the country with his parents during the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]]. Travelling via [[Siberia]] and [[China]], they arrived in [[Seattle]], where Alexander graduated from [[high school]]. He then attended the [[University of Washington]], where he achieved a degree in [[architecture]].
He started his art direction career in [[Los Angeles]], as an assistant to [[Alexander Toluboff]], an art director for [[MGM]]. He started working with [[Walter Wanger]] (a [[Film producer|producer]]) in 1939 and they worked together for many movies. Starting in 1942, and continuing for the next 30 years, he became a unit [[Art director#In film|art director]], and later a supervising art director at [[Universal Pictures|Universal]], overseeing dozens of productions.
Alexander Golitzen earned an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nomination for ''[[Foreign Correspondent (film)|Foreign Correspondent]]'' (1940), and received three Oscars for ''[[Phantom of the Opera (1943 film)|Phantom of the Opera]]'' in 1943, ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' in 1960 and ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' in 1962.
He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his work on ''[[Sundown (1941 film)|Sundown]]'' (1941), ''[[Arabian Nights (1942 film)|Arabian Nights]]'' (1942), ''[[The Climax (1944 film)|The Climax]]'' (1944), ''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]'' (1961), ''[[That Touch of Mink]]'' (1962), ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]'' (1966), ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'' (1967), ''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]'' (1969), ''[[Airport (1970 film)|Airport]]'' (1970), and ''[[Earthquake (1974 film)|Earthquake]]'' (1974). He served on the Academy's board of directors for several years.
Alexander was married for 72 years to Frances, née Peters, who survived him. They had a daughter Cynthia, a son Peter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
==See also== * [[Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame]] * [[List of Russian Academy Award winners and nominees#Best Art Direction|List of Russian Academy Award winners and nominees — Best Art Direction]]
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0326529}}
{{Academy Award Best Production Design}} {{Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame (2010s)}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golitzen, Alexander}} [[Category:American art directors]] [[Category:Best Production Design Academy Award winners]] [[Category:1908 births]] [[Category:2005 deaths]] [[Category:University of Washington College of Built Environments alumni]] [[Category:American production designers]] [[Category:Nobility from the Russian Empire]] [[Category:White Russian emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:Golitsyn family|Alexander]] [[Category:20th-century American designers]]